Max Miller’s Team Threatened Stations If They Ran Challenger’s Ad. They Did Anyway

Television stations ignored a cease-and-desist letter from Republican Ohio Rep. Max Miller’s legal team warning them not to broadcast an advertisement centered on the allegations against his ex-wife.

A lawyer for Miller demanded that Cleveland-based station WKYC not air the advertisement from his opponent, Democratic Ohio congressional candidate Brian Poindexter, arguing it contained “false, malicious, and defamatory statements.” WKYC and other Cleveland stations, WEWS, WJW and WOIO, aired the ad, according to Politico.

“The ad mentioned is filled with lies,” Miller’s campaign spokeswoman Abigail Angelos told the Daily Caller News Foundation. “Each of the statements in the advertisement are entirely unsubstantiated and contradicted by evidence. For example, there has been no restraining order placed against Congressman Miller. That is patently false. In fact, the opposite is true. To claim otherwise is defamatory which is why we issued a preemptive warning to the stations that could be in a position to air this ad.”

Miller and his ex-wife, Emily Moreno, filed restraining orders against each other. Moreno filed hers on July 31, alleging that he physically grabbed one of her attorneys, Andrew Zashin, during a court hearing and also used a profane slur to insult Zashin’s fiancée as they left the courtroom during a separate hearing in May.

Both sides reached an agreement on Aug. 26 that future depositions would be held at neutral sites where Miller and Moreno would have no contact with each other’s attorneys.

The ad depicts a local sheriff listing the domestic abuse accusations made against Miller by Moreno. It was cosponsored by Poindexter’s campaign and the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee (DCCC).

The WEWS-TV legal team evaluated the ad upon receiving the letter, according to a Monday article. The channel aired the ad since Federal Communications Commission rules prohibit stations from censoring ads purchased by candidates.

Poindexter tore up the letter in a campaign video Monday.

“I just got ahold of Max Miller’s letter threatening to sue about our new ad,” Poindexter said, followed by him tearing the sheet in half. “He’s threatening to sue because he doesn’t want people to hear the facts.”